Phyllis Hobbs

Phyllis Hobbs

Born March 1925

Served from 19 May 1943 to 29 Oct 1945.

·  At 17 Phyllis was working as an apprentice hairdresser and was told her job was not essential so she would be directed into a munitions factory on reaching the age of 18. She decided to join the WRNS instead and in May 1943 joined HMS VICTORY for basic training, learning how to march, living in close proximity to others and was given her uniform and pay book. She remembers Pat Mountbatten there as well.

·  Phyllis’ first posting was to HMS DAEDALUS as a cook and this was from June to December 1943.

·  Phyllis applied to be a Writer and was sent to Cowes but unfortunately while on the IOW developed appendicitis and was sent to Osborne House to recuperate. She remembers spending Christmas with Dame Vera Laughton Matthews in full uniform, so no time to relax.

During this period Phyllis’ mum travelled from Swindon on a special pass to see her sick daughter. Mum then had to spend the night in the next bed because the last ferry had left the island.

·  Phyllis’ training as a Writer necessitated in her signing the Official Secrets Act because she was dealing with confidential ships’ logs that came to her department.

·  Phyllis then went to Leamington Spa in April 1944 as a Confidential Book Corrector. This establishment was in a former brewery but the work was the same.

·  The wrens from Leamington Spa were taken to a local RAF station for a dance and she met her future husband there who just happened to be convalescing locally after crashing during a raid with Bomber Command.

·  Phyllis also remembers the enormous masses of troops around for D-Day. They slept in corridors and then they were gone.

·  One funny story Phyllis remembers is the time the girls had to “escape” from a "burning" building, 3 floors up and down a ladder on the outside. This exercise was a fire practice and the wrens had to climb through a small window onto a roof, then down the ladder. Phyllis was wearing a skirt at the time and the officer at the bottom of the ladder remarked “You are not wearing issue underwear” meaning the passion killers issued to the wrens by the Navy.

Phyllis left the WRNS in October 1945 after marrying her RAF pilot in August 1945. She fondly remembers her time spent in the WRNS.